Using the definitions in the chapter, Native People in the US would be

• A. a racial group
• B. an ethnic group that is also a minority group
• C. a religious sect
• D. an immigrant community

Answer: (B)

Classification of groups in this chapter hinges on how we define ethnicity, race, minority status, and immigration. Native People in the United States share a distinct cultural heritage—languages, traditions, history, and a sense of shared identity—which makes them an ethnic group. They are also a minority group because they are numerically smaller than the dominant population and have faced long-standing social and political disadvantages within the country.

They are not a single racial category, since Native peoples encompass diverse peoples with different appearances and racial identifications, and the concept of race is treated separately from shared culture and identity. They are not a religious sect, as their identity is not defined by a single religious belief system. And they are not an immigrant community, because they are the original inhabitants of the land, not groups that arrived to live here from elsewhere.

So the best description is that Native People in the US are an ethnic group that is also a minority group.